I am bit late to the party on this thread, but I'd like to respond to a few things starting with this one. The big money behind mass produced alcohol did not do this at all. This reduction, loosely designed to mirror the already existing excise tax reduction for small beer and wine producers was born right here on the ADI forums, developed, submitted, and passed by small distillers from all over the country. While DISCUS was a part of the effort, they became involved only after we had it tee'd up.
As for the comment about fake distilleries flooding the market? I understand that concern but I think it's minor. For one, the cost of setting up system and the accompanying logistics would likely cost far more than the maximum ~$1mil savings per company/controlled group. That 'Fake Craft' model works on consumers (sadly) but it doesn't work so easily on the tax collector.